The Foundation’s funding helped the Museum of Ventura County research, create and disseminate a scholarly journal, titled Bootleggers, Rumrunners, and Blind-Piggers: Prohibition in Ventura County. The Journal tells the story of the impact of Prohibition on Ventura County residents. The journal complemented the Museum’s major history exhibit All That Glitters is not Gold, which grew out of the same historical research into the county’s history during the 1920’s.
Read MoreEugene Debbs Potts Foundation: Pottsville is home to thousands of items commemorating Oregon's history, and the Eugene Debbs Potts Foundation is dedicated to preserving and making improvements to the historical Pottsville pioneer town and museum. The Schwemm Family Foundation supported the purchase and installation of 43 all-weather historical signs for the EDPF’s outdoor and indoor displays. These historical informational signs provide visitors with the opportunity to "take a walk through history" and learn about the fascinating history of Pottsville.
Read MorePreserving historic films is critical for the long-term protection of historical documentation. The SFF supported the Museum of Ventura County in their efforts to digitize the film archive of Herman Keene, a Ventura County landowner who documented backcountry life and in particular the abundant wildlife resources present in the early part of the last century. These films are now available to the public on the museum website.
Read MoreThe Takelma people lived in the Rogue Valley of southern Oregon when they were met by Euroamericans in the mid-1850s and mostly sent to reservations. The SFF helped fund the production of a beautifully-illustrated book entitled “Upriver to Morning”, written by Tish McFadden and based on the teachings of Takelma elder Agnes Baker Pilgrim. The project also included an audiobook, songs, and curriculum content.
Read MoreFort Umpqua, near Elkton, Oregon, was the southernmost site established by the Hudson’s Bay Company around 1832. The current buildings are replicas constructed by volunteers from original designs, and volunteers provide many tours and participate in living history demonstrations. The SFF has partnered with the Elkton Community Education Center to create new signs and develop additional walking path and interpretive materials.
Read MoreThe French Prairie region of central Oregon includes a rich history of Native American, Canadian, and European experiences. The SFF funded the St. Paul Mission Historical Society to develop a digital collection of writings, photographs, and other records of family histories in the region during the 1800s. This project digitally preserved these items, and the collection is now available for public search on the SPMHS website.
Read MoreLord & Schryver Conservancy undertook a project documenting the incredible careers of landscape architects Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver. These landscape architects worked in Oregon from 1929 - 1969 and designed over 200 gardens throughout the region. With help from the Schwemm Family Foundation, the Conservancy created a digital map (link) where visitors can explore the designs, locations, and rich history behind their gardens.
Read MoreFriends of Historic Butteville (FOHB) is an organization dedicated to the preservation, documentation, and presentation of the history of this town, which sits alongside the Willamette River in northern Oregon. Butteville was once a major loading point for agriculture being shipped into Portland, and today, one of FOHB’s main projects is to restore the historic Butteville Landing so that the general public will once again have access to this portion of the river. A grant from the Schwemm Family Foundation has helped support this work, which will provide visitors with areas to picnic, learn about the history and Butteville, and dock their kayak or small boat along the Willamette River, all at no charge.
Read MoreThe Wolf Creek Community Alliance works to protect the natural and cultural history of the Wolf Creek Watershed in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. For this project the Schwemm Family Foundation supported the design and construction of two interpretive panels that were placed along a public stretch of the creek. The signs describe the geography of the watershed as well as the history of the Nisenan tribe, whose ancestors occupied the region for thousands of years prior to the Gold Rush era. Displaying signage at this well-traveled location will help more people understand the history and culture of the watershed.
Read MoreThe Schwemm Family Foundation assisted the Jacksonville Oregon Boosters Foundation in the creation of A Path Through Time walk which documents and permanently displays Jacksonville's history from the 1850's forward by etching historical information, into 13 granite sidewalk slabs. Portions of the sidewalk in front of City Hall (the original 1883 Jackson County Courthouse) were cut out so that the granite slabs could be inlaid in their place. The slabs highlight major events in Jacksonville’s history, such as the discovery of gold in the 1850's, and the construction of the county courthouse. Jacksonville’s population is approximately 3,000 but it is estimated that up to 100,000 individuals visit Jacksonville on an annual basis.
Read MoreCentral Valley Vintage Baseball, based in Sacramento, has recreated the game as it was played over 100 years ago. Four teams play against each other and vintage teams from other parts of the country, wearing historic uniforms and incorporating the rules of the 1869s. Baseball was an important cultural event, used by early farmers of California’s Central Valley to bring towns together between the spring planting season and fall harvesting. The Schwemm Family Foundation supported the establishment of these vintage teams as a way to bring living history to the community. Play Ball!
Read MoreThe Josephy Center for Arts and Culture in Joseph Oregon, in partnership with the Wallowa History Center, made an appeal to the community to go through their attics and photo albums to uncover lost treasures to help document the county’s history. Local newspapers and the public submitted about 100 historical photos which enabled the Center to host a local art exhibit and accompanying exhibit catalogue, as well as an online catalogue. This initiative insured that many priceless photos were digitized for the future, that would have otherwise been lost or tossed because the portraits or local scenes would have been unidentified and meaningless to future generations. Approximately 2000 people visited the exhibit, including many school groups. The Schwemm Family Foundation funds were used primarily to scan, print and mount approximately 50 photos, each with a corresponding short essay explaining the content and source. Highlights of the exhibit included photos of the Nez Perce tribe, Chief Joseph, Maxville loggers, and early settlers and ranchers.
Read MoreAlong the Willamette River in Oregon, the Friends of Historic Butteville are working to restore Butteville Landing, a site that has connected the town with the river for as long as people have lived here. The project aims to increase public access to the site, improve shoreline conditions, and interpret the history of the Landing. The SFF supported the project by funding interpretive signage that will help visitors understand the important connections between the natural river and human enterprise in both historic and present-day Butteville.
Read MoreThe Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California engages students in many facets of maritime history and marine ecology. One of the institute’s most unique programs involves the ‘Pilgrim’, a replica of the merchant ship described in Richard Henry Dana’s book Two Years Before the Mast. The story tells the tale of Dana’s adventures in the 1830s as the ship traveled from Boston to California via Cape Horn. Students in 4th grade can participate in a living history adventure aboard the Pilgrim where they learn first-hand the life of a sailor in the 1800s. In support of this program The Schwemm Foundation funded a special printing of Two Years Before the Mast so that it can be made available at low cost to all students.
Read MoreIn 2017 The Schwemm Foundation assisted the SBHM with a project to digitize a portion of their collection of glass negatives containing unique images collected in the Santa Barbara region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Read MoreA particular challenge for historians is bringing history to people who might not otherwise feel they have a relationship with the past. The Schwemm Foundation recently partnered with the Shelton McMurhpey Johnson House in Eugene, Oregon to create and display historical posters on utility boxes on busy street corners throughout the region.
Read More
